Magnificent Proper leaps into final

RISING star Kelly Proper from Waterford lit up the Oval Lingotto arena in Turin yesterday with an inspiring performance during an incredibly successful morning for the Irish.

Proper has been showing promise as a long jumper for many years but yesterday she reached new levels when she smashed her own Irish record with a leap of 6.59 metres, 15 centimetres better than she ever achieved before.

She thus became the first Irish long jumper to reach a final of a major event since Ciaran McDonagh from Meath at the 1999 World Outdoor Championship in Seville. She takes part in tonight’s eight-strong final.